Introduction:
--Gen. 1. 26-28;  2. 23-25. Created With Equality In Dominion Over All.
--Gen. 3. The Fall And Prophetic Restoration.
--Gal. 6. 14-16;  3. 26-29;  Col. 3. 10,11. The Fulfilled Restoration In Christ, with no distinctions, and no respect of persons. Acts 10. 34,35.

Women In The Word
--Miriam, a prophetess. Ex. 15. 20;  Ps. 68. 25;  Num 12. 1-10;  Micah 6. 4.
--Deborah, a judge, prophetess, and mother in Israel. Judg. 4: 4;  5. 7-15.
--Huldah, a prophetess. 2 Ki. 22. 12-20;  2 Chron. 34.22.
--Isaiah's wife, a prophetess. Isa. 8. 1-3.
--Noadiah, a false prophetess. Neh. 6.14.
--False prophetesses and prophets dealt with in Ez. 13.
--Anna, prophetess. Lk. 2. 37, 38.
--Some other references: Ex. 38. 8;  1 Sam. 2. 22;  Num. 6. 2;  2 Sam. 20. 16-20;  2 Ki. 5. 2;  1 Sam. 25. 32-35;  Esther;  Ruth;  Rahab;  1 Sam. 1 & 2.

Jews, Jesus, And Women
--Jews said "A woman should not read in the Torah for the honor of the synagogue." "The testimony of 100 women is not equal to that of one man." "It is a shame for a woman to let her voice be heard among men."
--Jesus was born of a woman. He allowed them to touch Him. He ate with harlots and sinners. Lk. 7. 36-50. He taught women the Word of God. Pharisees and Rabbis would not eat with nor teach women. Jesus touched women and healed them (Matt. 9. 20-22). Jews would not. He ministered salvation to women. Jn. 4.

Acts:
--Men and women in the upper room. Ac. 1. 13-15.
--All were filled and spoke in tongues (and not silently).
--Dorcas, Ac. 9. 36-43.
--Lydia, Ac. 16. 14, 15.
--Leading Greek women in Thessalonica, Ac. 17. 4.
--Prominent women in Berea, Ac. 17. 12.
--Damaris, Ac. 17. 34.
--Priscilla and Aquilla husband and wife team, Ac. 18. 24-26.
--Men and women hailed to prison, Ac. 8. 1-4.
--Philip's four daughters who prophesied, Ac. 21. 9.

In The Epistles:
--Phebe, Rom. 16. 1, 2.
--About ten women's names mentioned, Rom. 16.
--Men and women may pray and prophesy in public meetings of the church,
1 Cor. 11. 5;  1 Tim. 2. 12.
--Paul says there is neither male nor female in Christ, Gal. 3. 28.
--Two women fellow workers in the gospel, Philp. 4. 2, 3.
--Older women are to teach younger women, Tit. 2. 4, 5;  1 Tim. 5. 2.
--Elect Lady seemed to have care for the children of the Lord, 2 Jn.
--Church reproved for allowing a false prophetess and teacher, Rev. 2. 18-29.
--Widows ministry of hospitality, 1 Tim. 5. 1-16;  Jas. 1. 27.
--Timothy had a godly grandmother and mother who taught him the Word, 2 Tim. 1. 5.
--Men and women people of faith mentioned in Heb. 11.

Women's Place And Ministry In Christ:
--Can be born again, baptized in the Spirit, speak in tongues, prophesy (which includes preaching, teaching, and exhortation), are kings and priests (Rev. 1. 6), a holy, royal priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, a holy nation, a chosen generation, a peculiar people (1 Pet. 2. 5, 9),can have faith for the miraculous, can witness of Christ's resurrection to men (Matt. 28. 8-10), can evangelize and bring the gospel to men (Jn. 4), can pray and intercede:
1 Pet. 3. 1-8;  Mk. 16. 15-20;  1 Cor. 11. 5;  1 Tim. 2. 8-10;  Ac. 16. 13. They can pray with men of the church, Ac. 1. 13-15.
--They can teach with their husbands, Ac. 18. 18, 24-28;  Rom. 16. 3;  2 Tim. 4. 19; can teach younger women, Tit. 2. 4, 5;  children, 2 Tim. 1. 5; and teach under the authority of man 1 Tim. 2. 9-15. Women labored with Paul in the gospel of Christ, Philp. 4. 3;  Rom. 16. 3, 6, 12;  Ac. 18: 26.

Women Who Fulfilled Their Function With The Authority Of Men:
--Miriam with Moses and Aaron, Ex. 15. 20;  Num. 12.
--Deborah with her husband, Lapidoth, Judg. 4 & 5.
--Esther with Mordecai's words.
--Huldah with Shallum, her husband, working with kings and priests, 2 Ki. 22;  2 Chron. 34.
--Isaiah's wife with Isaiah, Isa. 8. 3.
--Philip's four daughters with their father, Ac. 21. 9.
--Priscilla with Aquila, Ac. 18.
--Phebe with Paul, Rom. 16. 1, 2.
--Anna with temple authorities, Lk. 2. 36-38.

Those Who Usurped Authority (Operated of their own authority):
--Athaliah recognized no male leadership, 2 Ki. 11;  2 Chron. 22.
--Queen Jezebel took authority over Ahab, 1 Ki. 21.
--Woman Jezebel took control of Church at Thyatira, Rev. 2. 20
--Warnings about contentious, pushy women: Prov. 9. 13;  21. 9, 19;  23. 27;  25.24;  27. 15;  30. 21-23.

Paul's Writings:
--1 Tim. 2. 11-14. "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."
    A Paraphrase in the light of the context and all scripture:  "Let the wife learn quietly in the meetings in a meek and quiet spirit, without a lot of bustle and commotion with their liberty in Christ. I won't allow a wife to teach or lead a meeting if she is of a pushy, domineering nature, operating independently of her husband. For we see an order established in the beginning with Adam being created first, and it was Eve, acting of her own authority, that caused the transgression."
--Obviously he was talking about husbands and wives, as women in general were free to pray, prophesy, and teach.

--The Greek word "silence", hesuchia, meaning "stillness, i.e., desistence from bustle or language", is used in this passage.
The Greek word, sige, meaning "to hiss or hush, silence", is used in Ac. 21. 40;
1 Cor. 14. 28, 34, Rev. 8. 1. This word refers to absolute silence.
--In "subjection", hupotasso, = "hupo", under, and "tasso", to arrange. This speaks of learning with an attitude of a gentle and quiet spirit, not contentious, pushy, and interruptive (1 Pet. 3. 1-4).
--The "man". Context referring to Adam and Eve points to a wife is not to be domineering over her husband, and, any woman, married or not, that is contentious and pushy over other people [mankind], is not operating in the Spirit of God. Also, this principle applies to men as seen with Diotrephes in 3 Jn. 9.
--"Usurp authority over", authenteo, from two words, "autos"--self & "hentes"-- worker. It means "to act of oneself; to dominate".
    Comment: Members of the Body of Christ are to be submitting themselves one to another in the fear of God (Eph. 5. 21)--wives to husbands (vs. 22-24), husbands to wives, as Christ submitted or laid down His whole life for the Church (vs. 25-30), the emphasis is that husband and wife are to operate together as one to have dominion and authority on the earth, in total submission to and reverence to one another (vs. 31-33). Children are to be submissive to their parents (6. 1-3), fathers (parent, the authority figure in the case of widowed mother) are to be sensitive and submissive to the responsibility to teach and nurture the children in the things and ways of God (6. 4). Servants are to be submissive to their masters as unto the Lord, as a servant of the Lord (6. 5-8), and this attitude is to prevail among all whether you are a servant or not (vs. 8).
    Men have given a slanted interpretion of scriptures to put all the emphasis in this discourse on women submitting to men. Paul never put such an emphasis on that. His main emphasis is that each member of the Body is to be submissive one to another, and that husbands are to love their wives and be totally supportive of them so that they work together as one unit. This is the way it was in the beginning before the fall. It was when they worked independent from one another that transgression occurred. Christ laid His life down in submission to the needs of the Church. This is the same type submission the husband is to have toward the wife, and as head over the family.

--1 Cor. 14. 34, 35. "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but [they are commanded] to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." (bracketed words are italicized in the KJV Bible, which means the translators added these words).
    Context: Chapter 7, Paul deals with marriage problems, 8, problem of meats offered to idols, 9, concerning support for the ministry, 10, deals with temptations like Israel of old had, 11, grooming codes and order at the Lord's table, 12, 13, 14, deals with operations of the manifestations of the Spirit, and at the close of 14, he deals with talkative wives who disrupt the services by asking their husbands questions out loud in the meetings. Remember, Paul has just said in 1 Cor. 11. 5 that men and women may pray and prophesy in the church.

--"Let your women..." Notice, it did not say "Let the women...", or "Let women...". This is addressing a particular problem that was occurring at Corinth at the time, and as we shall see, Paul was drawing on the authority of the scriptures to correct their problem.

--"Keep silence in the churches". Greek words are sigao and sige (Strongs # 4601 and 4602), meaning "to be silent, to hiss, or hush, silence". Other uses of the word: If a person speaks in tongues and there is not an interpreter then they are to be silent (1 Cor. 14. 28). If the prophets have something revealed to them, then the first is to be silent and the others speak (1 Cor. 14. 30). And if a woman wants to ask questions of  her husband, she must do it at home and be silent in the church (1 Cor. 14. 34). This is not a mandate for all women to keep silence in the church any more than to silence the speaker in tongues or a prophet. Remember, Paul has just established in chapter 11 that men and women can pray and prophesy in the public assembly. He would not contradict himself. No, he is simply addressing a particular problem the Corinthian church was having, and, if that same problem is occurring in a church today, the same principles will apply.

--"For it is not permitted unto them to speak...For it is a shame for women to speak in the church" (vs. 34, 35). The Greeks used different words to express speech, all translated "speak" in the English.
legein--"to deliver an ordered discourse".
eipien--"to speak in ordinary conversation"
lalein--"to chatter, babble, prattel, gabble or talk in an undertone".
Here is used laleo meaning "to talk, utter words". In Liddel & Scott's Lexicon the meaning is given: "to chatter, babble; of birds, to twitter, chirp; strictly, to make an inarticulate sound, opposed to articulate speech; but also generally, to talk, say".

--"Commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law". It does not say the law commands silence, but to be under obedience. Paul is using the authority of the Word to bring about order in the Corinthian church. He is saying that wives must not be disturbing the meetings by inconvenient asking of questions, and talking and chattering among themselves. Not in any way is he enforcing silence on women. Then he would be contradicting himself.
    This is even more easily understood when you consider that customs in that area, even today, are that men and women are separated in the meetings, in two groups. Women would tend to talk among themselves, and if they asked their husbands something, they would have to speak loud enough to disturb the meeting.

Any person, man or woman, who is talkative, unsubmissive, contentious, pushy, and domineering, is not operating in the Spirit of the divine order
of God. God's order is submitting one to another in the fear of God. (Ref: Diotrephes, 3 Jn. 9).

Miscellaneous
--Mary the first evangelist (Matt. 28. 1-8).
--Believing wives/husbands are not under the curse of Genesis 3 (1 Tim. 2. 15)

Conclusion:
    Women are totally free to minister just like men. The Word never forbids women to hold divinely appointed offices in the kingdom of God. Apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists, and all other areas of ministry are open to be filled by willing, Spirit-filled vessels who will be submissive to and obedient to the Spirit of God, for there is neither male nor female, bond nor free, Jew nor Greek: "for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3. 26-29).
    Women just began to be liberated by the gospel in Jesus' day. Then, it was very much "a man's world", in the time the Bible was written, so much of the writing is specifically addressed to men (eg. 1 Tim. 3. 1;  2.4). But nowhere do I find the Bible forbidding women to hold offices in the kingdom. Rather, by looking at the whole of scriptures, we see women who did hold positions of authority.
    According to the context of the whole Bible, 1 Tim. 3. 1 could read, "If a man or woman desire the office of a bishop...", and the rest of the context apply accordingly. If one insists on strictly adhering to "men" in this passage, then one must say that God will only have "men" to be saved, for it says in 1 Tim. 2. 3, 4: "God...who will have all men to be saved...."
    "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Gal. 6. 14). The cross of Jesus destroyed all distinctions--Jew, Greek, bond, free, man, woman. We are one in Him.
    "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy...my servants...my handmaidens...shall prophesy" (Ac. 2. 17, 18). With the outpouring of the Spirit on all flesh on the day of Pentecost, the lid was taken off. Now God is filling and using all available vessels in a miraculous way to seek and save the lost, to establish His kingdom on the earth, and to fill the earth with His glory.
        Jesus commissions you, male and female, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations...preach the gospel to every creature...these signs shall follow them that believe (not just men): In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover...lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28. 18-20;  Mk. 16. 15-18).                                       Sun. morning 5-9-99